CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On his way to becoming World No. 1 in 2015 and winning the PGA Championship, Jason Day used to trade texts with Tiger Woods, his childhood idol, who often supplied words of inspiration before he headed to the first tee. Fire and brimstone stuff it typically was not. It was more like a twist on Caddyshack‘s Ty Webb telling Danny Noonan to “be the ball, Danny.”

“I get angry at Tiger all the time,” Day said. “I say, ‘Just get to the bloody point. Don’t do some Star Wars stuff and make it where I have to work it out.’ He says, ‘Yeah, I’m very Yoda when it comes to that stuff.’ He’ll give you an answer, but it may take a week or two before you go, ‘Ah, that’s what he meant.'”

Through three rounds, Day seems to have it all figured out at the Wells Fargo Championship, grabbing a two-stroke lead over Nick Watney at 10-under 203. On an overcast, humid day in...

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